The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1887-11-22

answer everything in straightfor-
ward manner. The remark of the
Minister of the Interior on the mat
ter of the Makiki claims, "We have
nothing to conceal" is certainly a
sound motto, and one that only an
honest government can adopt.
FIRST catch your hare is veneer
able wise saying, that, although
founded on a misquotation from a
cook book, has often done duty to
remind people of the necessity of
having material to work with in any
enterprise. The lesson is applicable
to the question of colonization in this
country Before engaging to settle
many people on small farms, we must
have the territory to divide up into
holdings of any considerable number
Surveyors have gone out and re-
ported but small proportion of land
suitable for settlement in all the
tracts of the public domain. As fast,
we believe, as the present Govern
ment has been able to mete out home
steads it has invited applications
from intending settlers. There is
not such an abundance of cultivable
ground in possession of the public,
however, to admit of bringing in
settlers from outside the Kingdom.
Neither is it likely that there will be
so much land for the purpose while
to come. Therefore it would be adj
visable for every precaution to be
taken that the lands settled under
the Homestead Act should not for a
stated period, if ever, be allowed to
be alienated from the purposes for
which they are conveyed. Unless
some extraordinary provisions be en-
acted, it is impossible to be sure of
the permanent success of public
colonization enterprise. Without
some restriction against the mortgage
ing or selling of lands obtained origi-
nally from the Government, there
will be no assurance that they will
not ultimately fall a prey to land
monopolists. Thriftlessness of the
holders, or the temptation of great
increase in value, may one OF both
lead the settler, after he has come
into full possession by observing all
the conditions of the Homestead Act,
to part with his holding. Without
advocating Georges theory of the
naturalization of land, yet a coun-
try with so little territory to devote
to settlement as Hawaii should pro-
vide against the contingency of hav-
ing expense incurred in that regard
go for nothing in the end. What
agricultural land the country has on
which to establish communities of
small producers should be carefully
preserved to that object alone, so as
not to be snatched up by a few grasp
ing hands and held for speculative
leasing OF selling The question
here raised is a difficult one, for
which ordinary precedents borrowed
from other countries will not
afford the solution. We have but
a small area in the aggregate avail
able for settlement, with, proper
tionally, many people of wealth not
beyond liability of infection from the
malady Of land hunger. A diversif-
cation of products with ready markets
for every article that can be raised
for export would enhance the
value of all lands. There would
be among the best classes of settlers.
some managers so incompetent as to
go behind, and the experience of such
in independent farming would wind
up with a mortgagee's sale. Others
of a rowing disposition would take
advantage of high prices offering for
land to sell out and emigrate to fresh
fields wearing in their view the pro
verbal enchantment of distance.
Under such conditions, in country
of so limited territorial capacity yet
of so rich climatic advantages as this,
it is easy to imagine the best con
structed colonization scheme falling
to pieces just at the time when the
nation should expect to be reaping
Its Benefits. That is, unless some
safeguards be adopted to prevent the
evils of monopoly in land and agra
rian landlordism, which are now
causing vast amount of trouble in
the world, from striking their roots
into Hawaiian soil While the Gov
eminent is looking out land capable
of cultivation to offer to settlers, the
public should be discussing means of
making peasant proprietorship an
object of realization as a permanent
factor in the national prosperity.
The obtaining of suitable people for
settlers is even a secondary consider
alton to that herein introduced to
the attention of the country. Would
it not be well for the present session
to appoint committee to investigate
the whole subject of colonization and
report at the regular session? Such
commission might look into the feas
4